Thursday, November 27, 2014

Case Details of File Number: 11772/24/69/2011-WC
Diary Number 47549
Name of the Complainant LENIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/SECRETARY GENERAL
Address PEOPLE'S VIGILANCE COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS, S A4/2 A, DAULATPUR,
VARANASI , UTTAR PRADESH
Name of the Victim MANBASIA W/O JODHILAL
Address R/O VILL. GHAGHARI TOLA SAHGORA, PS. BABHANI,
SONEBHADRA , UTTAR PRADESH
Place of Incident GHAGHARI TOLA
SONEBHADRA , UTTAR PRADESH
Date of Incident 7/17/2010
Direction issued by the Commission These proceedings shall be read in continuation of the earlier proceedings. The Commission received a complaint dated 18.03.2011 from Shri Lenin, which mentions that Jagesari Devi, aged 32, a tribal woman of Sonebhadra district, became a victim of witch hunting and her tongue was chopped off. Smt Manbasia, aged 45, was subjected to inhuman ordeal and on 17.07.2010 after the demise of a boy in the village, she was not only attacked with sharp weapons but also paraded naked in public. In another case, a woman Somari Devi, aged 40, wife of Dinesh Gond was branded as a witch and pushed into a fire, however, her husband saved her. In her testimony, she alleged that the police did not register her complaint and instead of punishing the culprit, the police let him off scot-free. Vide proceedings dated 14.01.2013, the Commission considered the report DIG, Vindychal Range, Mirzapur that regarding the alleged incident of atrocity on Jageshari Devi, a case Cr. No. 640/2010 u/s 326/504/120 B IPC was registered, the three accused have been sent to J/C and charge sheet has been filed. The District Magistrate, Sonebhadra was directed to submit a report in respect of the treatment and financial assistance provided to the victim Jageshari Devi along with details of further action taken against the culprits for practice of witch hunting for land grabbing, as alleged in the complaint. Vide proceedings dated 27.08.2013, the Commission considered the report from SP, district Sonebhadra which mentioned that the victim and her family members have no problem and the local police have been instructed to provide necessary protection. The District Collector, Sonebhadra vide communication dated 05.06.2013, has enclosed a report dated 06.04.2013, from SDM of the area that the information from the revenue department reveals that out of the three victims, two have BPL Card and one is having Antaodaya Card for getting ration from fair price shop and they are leading a normal life in the village. The Commission issued a Show Cause Notice to the Government of Uttar Pradesh through its Chief Secretary as to why monetary relief u/s 18 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, be not recommended to be paid to the victims. Vide proceedings dated 21.01.2014, the Commission issued a final reminder to the Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh calling for the requisite reply within four weeks failing which the Commission shall take it that the State has no views on the matter & shall proceed to pass appropriate orders. In response, the Commission has received an endorsed communication dated 28.02.2014 from the Under Secretary, Home (HR) Department-1, Women and Child Development Department, Uttar Pradesh regarding the submission of the requisite reply which is still awaited. The Commission has considered the material placed on record. The Commission vide proceedings dated 27.08.2013, observed that the assistance provided to the victims branded as a witch is totally inadequate. The State had failed to protect the dignity of women, protect them, curb the menace of witch hunting and to protect their human rights. The Commission therefore recommends to the Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh to make payment of Rupees 3,00,000/- as monetary compensation to be paid to the victim Jagesari Devi, aged 32, a tribal woman of Sonebhadra district, who became a victim of witch hunting and her tongue was chopped off; Rupees 3,00,000/- to Smt Manbasia, aged 45, who was not only attacked with sharp weapons but also paraded naked in public and Rupees 3,00,000/- to Somari Devi, aged 40, wife of Dinesh Gond who was branded as a witch and pushed into a fire, however, her husband saved her. The proof of payment is to be submitted within 6 weeks.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

We, Gwangju Human Rights Laureates, desiring
that SAARC embody the expression of peoples, aver the need for greater efforts
for promoting the sovereignty of the people and violence-free South Asia
through democratic values and structures and would like to request the
governments of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to
recognize the non-violent movement of Irom Sharmila as a great tradition of the
Gandhian movement in the region.

We also urge the governments of SAARC to stop
militarization and to repeal security acts such as the Armed Forces Special
Powers Act (AFSPA), which have been a cause of egregious human rights
violations and vicious cycle of violence in the region. We appeal to promote
peace and understanding of disputes, and efforts for settling any disputeamicably
at the popular level.

We, the South Asian People's Forum,
desiring that SAARC embody the aspirations of the People, aver the need for
greater efforts for promoting the sovereignty of the People and violence free
South Asia through democratic values and structures.

We envision a SAARC that encompasses
all people living in South Asia and promote greater understanding and equal
respect of all people to eliminate discriminations based on gender, creed,
caste, ethnicity and color.

We also insist on declaring South
Asia as nuclear free zone.

Our Mission

We promote peace and understanding of
disputes, and efforts for settling them amicably at the popular level.

We firmly demand urgent and complete
de-nuclearization of South Asia.

We uphold social democracy, secular
values, and economic equity and envision sustainable development.

We advocate greater efforts to
prevent environmental degradation, and optimum and equitable utilization of
resources for the benefit of the people, providing them adequate space to
influence and participate in decisions on resource use and management.

We endorse the inalienable right of
the People of South Asia to basic needs including food, clothing, shelter,
health, education, social security and productive work.

We advocate people to people
communication facilities and an end to travel restrictions.

Major concerns

Democracy

We cherish and uphold the Rule of
Law, sovereignty of the people, a system of governance that ensures devolution
of power, People's right to self-rule and control over resources.

We advocate full independence of the
judiciary, adhering to internationally recognized values and principles.
Pro-people lawmaking has to be participatory, representative and fully
transparent.

We believe that People have sovereign
rights to take decisions on matters concerning their lives, and urge periodic
review of all international commitments and national laws to enable people to
exercise sovereignty.

We maintain that governance
improvements have to begin and end with the People and that empowerment can result
only when power is devolved through effective structural changes.

We also maintain that existing
social, economic and political imbalances hinder nation building and that the
legislature, executive and the judiciary must be fully inclusive and accountable
to the People.

We believe People are the real owners
of resources and support mechanisms to make them rightful owners of resources
through systems that ensure collective ownership and responsibility.

We uphold the People's right to
information through participation in decision-making and governance.

We believe that internal and external
displacement is caused by political, social and developmental factors and any
attempt to end displacement should begin with addressing the root causes.

We assert that refugees are sovereign
people with sovereign identities and they need to be provided guarantees of
protection, dignity and access to basic services until final resolution and/ or
repatriation.

We are concerned by the increase in
human trafficking (including children, women and marginalized communities) in
the region and call for receiving countries to take on responsibility for
repatriation and compensation of the victims.

Discrimination

We affirm that discrimination based
on gender, caste, creed, and ethnicity and differently able is a major obstacle
to meaningful participation of People.

We endorse patriarchy-free South
Asia, and support the individual's right to self-determination and development
and uphold their duty to national integration.

We resolve for an immediate and
effective end to untouchability, the worst form of discrimination and demand
interventions as follows:

Programs for the uplift of the Dalits and
mechanisms to empower them for their rights.

Reservations, in public as well as the private
sector, to ensure participation of all at all levels starting from primary
schooling and across all spheres of life.

Reservations to enable at least 33%
representation of women (including Dalits) in all spheres of private and public
life and an end to all forms of discrimination against women.

Discrimination to be considered a real life
problem.

Review of existing laws and modifications to
incorporate the implementation of international instruments.

Equal respect for religious, ethnic and
cultural minorities.

We appreciate the changes being
discussed for the uplift of women by Islamic groups and will provide support to
encourage and facilitate further changes.

We ask for inclusion of rights and
security concerns of migrant workers in the SAARC Social Charter.

Food sovereignty

We believe the right to food is a
fundamental right and must be assured through guarantees to equality in work,
justice and uniform minimum wages, and land entitlement.

We recommend that relief and aid
should be culturally sensitive and value adding, and uphold that hunger and
starvation are unacceptable.

Globalization and International
Finance and Trade

We believe the existing policies of
multilateral aid and trade organizations are anti-people and perpetuate
unemployment, poverty and inequalities.

We advocate that all aid and trade
agreements and instruments be subject to public scrutiny to ensure transparency
and accountability.

We uphold the need for collective
SAARC representation and uniform standards for negotiations on aid and trade
instruments and the formulation of a common social responsibility standard to
govern FDI.

We oppose privatization, particularly
that of social infrastructure.

We oppose Foreign Direct Investment without
effective social controls and strongly endorse the promotion of small and
medium enterprises through people's markets.

We believe the World Trade
Organization is not ratified by the people and advocates only freedom of
capital, and ask SAARC to work towards the democratization of the WTO through
inclusion of civil society organizations in negotiations.

We ask SAARC to move towards the
creation of an economic community to suit the people's interest and step back
from free trade envisaged under the SAFTA, which is an extension of the WTO
model.

We believe that the existing
ownership of intellectual property and laws governing violations are flawed and
advocate stiff penalties for those infringing into the traditional knowledge
and services belonging to developing countries.

Child rights

We uphold the Right of the Child as
defined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and believe the child is
an integral part of society, has the potential to be agents of social change
and all children have the right to participate in issues concerning them and be
heard.

We believe a child's right to
survival and health is of paramount importance to the progress of the country,
and maintain that the child's right to development be upheld through free and
compulsory education, including vocational training, and recreation without
discrimination for all and in a child-friendly environment.

We demand that a child's right to
protection be upheld through the abolition of child labor, abusive forms of
punishment and all forms of discrimination with special focus on
differently-abled children.

We demand that the juvenile justice
system be child friendly and be strictly implemented in the region.

We demand immediate resolution of
existing social, cultural, economic and political factors that promote the
trafficking of children.

We advocate areas where children
frequent be declared zones of peace to enable them to grow in peaceful and
secure environments.

We oppose involvement of children in
all forms of violent conflicts.

Varanasi, 17 Jan. 2005

It is disgraceful that Governments of
SAARC did not fulfill above aspiration of People of South Asia.

I appeal as citizen of South Asia
that it is high time and right time for fulfill above demands of People of South
Asia.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

PVCHR got happy after reading
the news published in daily Hindi newspaper that Shri Pranjal Yadav District
Magistrate of Varanasi adopted Ayer village from Harhuwa block and
Baikunthapur village from Pindra and CDO Vishakha ji adopted Nehiya from Pindra
block and Baithauli from Harhuwa block under the Uttar Pradesh State
Government program “State Nutrition Mission”. (Reference of the news
published in Amar Ujala on 16th November, 2014)

The most marginalized ghetto
(Basti) of the above selected three villages (Ayer, Bhaithauli and Nehiya) are
also being adopted by PVCHR for creating it as Child Friendly Model
Village in 2006 (Ayer and Bhaithauli) and Torture free model village (Nehiya) in
2010.

Organization believes that
Education will break the cycle of poverty, improve equity, empower women, and
create health awareness and moreover improved democracy and
accountability. So, in 2006 with the support of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust
runs Pre-Primary Center in Ayer and Bhaithauli for the first learners. In 2007
Ms. Helma Ritscher, Chairperson, Indo- German Society of Remscheid visited Ayer
village and together with the community and PVCHR core group and core – team
decided to build room in musahar ghetto with economic assistance from Inwent,
Germany through DIG. Understanding the importance of education Mr. Sijjan and
Somaru Musahar donated the land to build the pre- primary centre with the
kitchen. On 6th September, 2007 Ms. Veena, District Magistrate of Varanasi and
Mr. Kim, Director-Trustee of May 18 Foundation and participants of 4th May 18
Academy of South Korea inaugurate this Eklavya Centre.

The Eklavya center was
development as a model center which provides holistic development to the child i.e.
education, food and playing material. The food, playing items, educational
materials were provided with the support of Ms. Parul Sharma an NRI based in
Sweden, which break the culture of silence and children enrolled in school
for primary education Working for providing education to the most
marginalized communities was not easy for the organization. A dedicated worker
Mr. Brijesh Pandey faced threat and discrimination from BSA (Basic Siksha
Adhikari) on bringing the corporal punishment of Suresh Mushar due to caste
based discrimination.

In 2011 PVCHR with the
support from Child Right and You (CRY) implemented many
Multi-dimensional activities implemented in four ways to ensure Right to
Participation, Right to survival, Right to Development, and Right to Protection
of children through (1) Direct activity with children (2) Action with community
(3) Direct action with local self – governance (4) Networking and policy
advocacy, which is creating child right grid model. (5) Facilitate effective
implementation of other legislations for child protection in the Model village.

Now children are discussing
and advocating for their rights through children parliament Sant. Ravidas Bal
Panchayat.

After malnutrition mapping
and intervention 76 families received emergency assistance of 1000 Rupees as
per the directive issued byUttar Pradesh government on 24 December, 2004 signed
by the chief secretary. This directive requires every Village Council in the
state to form a committee for hunger and malnutrition.

In 2009 during the mass
protest of the Voice of People (VOP) a state level network for the working on
child rights issues. The marginalized communities of Nehaiya village join in
the movement and came in the contact of PVCHR. In 2010 PVCHR adopted this
village for creating as torture free model village.After the intervention on the
folk school, situational analysis and campaign these village developed
infrastructure and major marginalized communities are benefited with the
Government schemes.

So we all have been celebrating 'Children's Day' but has anyone of us
actually made an effort to bring a smile on the face an
under-privileged child. If not, then here is your chance to educate
children who are deprived of the basic educational amenities.

Step up to this occasion of funding the education of marginalized children! Because real ‪#‎SwachBharatAbhiyan‬ would be to eradicate illiteracy from ‪#‎INDIA‬.

We may spend 1000s of rupees over a weekend while watching a movie
or a dinner can we not contribute a little for the brighter future of
our motherland. Remember "Padhega India, tabhi toh badhega India"

Sunday, November 09, 2014

95% of incidents of violence in India are committed by men. The final episode of Season 3 examines why this is the case and how deeply-entrenched notions of masculinity affect attitudes towards women. The episode also helps explain the larger violence we witness in society, be it in incidents of road rage, ragging or acid attacks. It explores how fixed notions of masculinity are shaped and how they victimize not only those at the receiving end, but men themselves as well.

Dr Lenin Raghuvanshi grew up in Uttar Pradesh where he saw unequal relationships between men and women, with the men being stronger, violent and controlling of the women. He chose a different path for himself and went on to become one of the founding members of People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights, a Varanasi-based NGO which works for the upliftment of the marginalized sections of the society. He is also a Dalit rights activist.

How masculinity ends up crippling men, depriving them of expressing normal human emotions like love, pain and vulnerability is the focus of this segment. Five men originally from the U.P.-Haryana regions talk about how they were taught by their own families to suppress their instincts and conform to a certain stereotype of being male and how this manifested in their behaviour.